


Thank You, Friend

by ssttitdramon



Category: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
Genre: Gen, Time Travel, from tumblr, im not crying you are, ssttitd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:27:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21803698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssttitdramon/pseuds/ssttitdramon
Summary: Sarah makes friends with the boy her family abandons in her room
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	Thank You, Friend

**Author's Note:**

> Sarah is a teen here!

Ramón wakes up on the cold cement floor with a dull headache and immense chest pain. He quickly realizes he’s no longer on Stella’s basement couch, but in a dark room with only two lit candles by his head. Confused, he begins to sit up when he notices a thick blanket over him, before he can pull it off he also notices a bloody piece of bandage fabric underneath him.

“Oh! You are supposed to hold that against your head.” a quiet, female voice advised from a dark corner.

Startled, Ramón grabs the bloody piece as he quickly stands up and presses his back against the wall. He reaches for his lighter in the pocket of his jeans, but realizes he’s still in the sweatpants he went to sleep with at Stella’s.

“No, no, no. Please sit down, it won’t do you any good to stand up in that condition.” she insists, followed by the rattling of chains. Immediately, Ramón’s head began to pound, proving her right. 

Touching the source of pain, Ramón’s fingers show him dry blood, “Who are you and where am I?” he asks, slowly sliding down the wall to sit.

From the dark, a pale arm emerges with a fresh bandage in hand, “Here, I’m Sarah and you’re in my home. I do apologize on my family’s behalf. My brother, Ephraim, can be brutal.” her voice shakes at the mention of her brother. Ramón accepts the offering, noting her hand was quite warm and soft.

“ _Sarah_? As in Sarah-”

“Bellows, yes.” she cuts, “ _Oh my_ , I apologize for interrupting.” she gasps and seems to back away in haste, the sound of chains giving her away.

Ramón feels a pang in his heart from the fear in her voice, “No, that’s alright. I won’t hurt you, Sarah.” he reassures.

“No?”

“Not at all, thank you for this by the way.” he motions at the new cloth in his hand.

“Yes well, may I ask for your name?” Sarah asks, seeming to get closer to the boy, but still far enough to stay hidden from the candlelight. 

“Ramón, I’m not from around here.” 

Sarah stays silent, seeming to dwell on the name, “That’s a nice one.” she whispers to herself.

“Sarah?”

“Yes?”

“Is it alright if I push a candle towards you? I’d like to see you.” Ramón asks, staring at the dark corner she concealed herself in.

“I don’t want to scare you, Ramón. You seem like a nice boy.” she admits.

Ramón shakes his head, “You won’t. Plus, you’ve been kind as well.” he points out.

“Very well then, promise not to laugh.”

Ramón takes one of the candles next to him and places it four feet away from his place on the floor. He sits back against the wall, “Whenever you’re ready.” 

It takes a while for Sarah to shuffle into the light, but when she does, her white face is the first thing Ramón sees. Sarah seemed to be around his age, maybe a year younger. Although many would consider her face to be washed out from all the white, he easily notes the light blue in her sad eyes, along with the tinge of pink on her lips and nose.

Ramon detects her anticipation for any sort of reaction, so he offers a gentle smile, “See? You don’t scare me.” 

Sarah lets out a sigh of relief, carefully observing Ramón as she comfortably settles down in front of the candle, letting her long white hair and dark green dress come into view. “What did you do that made them send you down here?” she prompts. 

“I’m… actually not sure, I don’t remember.” Ramón responds, lightly tending to his head wound again. He didn’t want to freak her out with talk of being from the future -if the past really is where he finds himself in. 

“Well it seems like you put up a good fight. Both of my brothers’ noses were bleeding when they brought you here.” Sarah giggles, toying with the ruffles of her dress. “They’ve got me down here because I suppose I have been asking too many questions about the business.” she frowns.

“The business?”

“I believe my brothers are the cause for the illness of some of the townspeople.” she whispers, nervously looking at a corner to the left of Ramón. He follows her gaze, remembering where he entered with Stella, Auggie, and Chuck just a few hours ago or… decades into the future.

“I should get you out of here.” 

Sarah shakes her head, “I’ve tried countless times and even if I roam around the house, I am unable to make it past the front door.” 

“If my brother were here he’d get you out of this hole and to a safe place far from here.” Ramón hears himself mumble. It was unexpected, but at the moment it brought him peace to his bizarre situation. 

“Your brother sounds brave.” Sarah comments, “Do you remember if he was with you?” 

Ramón shakes his head, “He passed away a few weeks ago, but he was the bravest person I’ve known.” he informs her, receiving her condolences. 

The two spend the next three hours talking on the floor. At some point, Sarah was close enough for Ramón to extend an end of the large blanket to her legs. Sarah shared her dreams of becoming a writer or maybe even a school teacher. Ramón encouraged her to pursue writing and discretely challenged her to think on the impact of her words. Ramón also talked about his family, which had Sarah fully engrossed in his recollection of growing up with his siblings. In the middle of talking about the children that visit Sarah from the outside, they both hear the groan of the first door sliding open. 

Ramón swiftly gets on his feet, stretching his hand out to pull Sarah up with him. She grabs it and stands next to him, “For your safety, please do not say anything when they get here.” she whispers, listening intently to the footsteps coming down the stairs.

“No, we’re getting out of here. I won’t let them get to you and I’ll get you out of those chains.” Ramón extends an arm in front of her, putting himself between her and whoever was coming down those steps. Ramón feels an immeasurable need to protect Sarah from her family, knowing deep down she was innocent for whatever tragedies they’d pin on her in the future. 

“No, please, I do not want you to get hurt because of me.” she pleads, tugging lightly at his shirt. 

Before Ramón can offer Sarah comfort, a man and a woman appear by the entrance holding a lantern. Hearing Sarah whimper behind him and stepping back, the man fumed and charged for the young girl. Without hesitating, Ramón gets in the way of the man’s path and just as he was about to strike, Ramón finds himself standing on the top of the stairs. 

Dazed, Ramón turns around expecting to meet with the man and the woman. Unfortunately, he only sees Stella’s basement below him as the feeling of frustration and misery washes over him. Ramón sits down on one of the steps, hands on his head when he feels something soft in the pocket of his sweats. He reaches in and finds the bloody bandage with dark writing scribbled across, _Thank you, friend. For your bravery, kindness and company._


End file.
